Free — But At What Cost?

 

My Dad has always been fond of sharing the caveat that “Nobody ever gave away anything worth having for free.”

(Dad is not a writer, store manger, or Mary Kay Consultant.)

Really? Are high price tags an accurate assessment of quality?  Is FREE really just another name for junk?

Okay, then, what’s the deal with FREE?

No question, there’s plenty of free crap stuff being offered around these days, but it’s good to remember that when it comes to free, it is definitely not a case of ONSIZE FITS All.  For instance, a well intentioned  assessment of FREE would be to consider it as something of a birth announcement– “Lookie lookie, see my newborn pride and joy, isn’t she a beauty?”

There are of course certain degrees of free, but in order for FREE to serve it’s intended purpose of “Try it, you’ll like it,” the object in question needs to be compatible with the hype, or at least good enough to keep everyone from whispering that you have an absolutely hideous baby.

The extender of FREE has to keep in mind that they are in fact aiming a spotlight that will show all the seams and dangling threads in their garment.  So while you may be offering something for FREE, you as the giver, must wholeheartedly believe it’s actually worth a million bucks. Thus, in order for FREE to translate into true love and future sales where dollars are exchanged and bank accounts padded, this FREE something must ideally translate into being delicious, memorable, or decidedly unforgettable.

For instance, those FREE food samples many of us are so fond of, I ask you, is that friendly food sample server at  Trader Joe’s serving up bottom-of-the-freezer-ignored-to-death items that otherwise haven’t sold?  Does the store manager think that offering free samples is a genius plan for cleaning out the soy cocktail weenies wrapped in seaweed that nobody is buying? ” (Note, that such reasoning as they apply to our at home food stuffs do not in any way relate to the discussion at hand, and such methods are not necessarily wrong or otherwise discouraged.)  Or, is it actually that someone in the Trader Joe’s empire is banking on a hunch that one miniature taste of Asiago or Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage will lead to true and forever love? (Btw, YES, YES it will!)

At their best, FREE samples allow us to taste the new foodie treats coming on the scene before making the commitment to buy; slather on the coconut oil lotion to see if it really does  make us look ten years younger; read an unknown author’s work to determine if their words nest comfortably in our brains.  All this without ever having to make a commitment!

And yet, why then, all the hostility and distrust toward some FREE items, eBooks being a prime example. There have been more than a few scathing comments made in regard to free book promotions and ongoing rants about crappy books crowding the market and causing enormous literary jams when crossing the street contrare to traditionally sold books.  Is it really true that if something is free there must be something wrong with it?  That anything of value warrents a price tag?

I think the answer resides within the actual purpose of FREE.  With food it’s about engaging taste-buds, while with personal products, winners are those that deliver visible results (or that smell really really good.).  And when it comes to books, well maybe it’s not as convoluted or diabolical as it might appear to some.

First the disclaimer, YES, there are some hideous, ghastly, and retch worthy books turning up in the FREE zone, but lets keep in mind that there are plenty of the same with a price tag on the cover.  Consider that an author offering a book for FREE is most often doing so because their name is not Stephen King, thus having their moniker on the spine of a book means diddly-doo to the book buying public, and they might as well be the invisible man peddling face cream. But that’s not even the most important thing, because first and foremost is an author’s passionate faith fingers crossed prayerful hope that once experienced, their books will no longer simply be a love story waiting to happen, but rather a lifetime commitment.

And if it doesn’t? If the sparks fail to ignite and an a reader feels compelled to break-off the engagement and return to taking out other blind dates?  No problem!  It’s painless and easy to DELETE what doesn’t entice or appeal, because, hey, it was FREE to begin with.

What do you think of FREE? Love, hate,  or distrust it?

Lucky 7

HIGH ROLLING LUCKY  SEVEN

The always fabulous Tami Clayton has tagged me in the writing game, “The Lucky 7 Meme.”

Thanks Tami!

These are the rules–because of course there are rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences, or paragraphs, and post them as they’re written.
4. Tag 7 authors, and let them know.

So this is my pg.77, line 7 — next 7 lines, from the bajillionth draft of my current work in progress, a Mainstream Literary novel with some really long sentences:

Incredible!  There it is.  Right in front of her.

Her legs peddle fast and furious, twin beaters churning the air, ancient rubber tires slapping the uneven pavement in complaint, her insides rolling and crashing like waves as she closes the distance.  Someone is shouting—then a woman’s high-pitched wail—the hysterical squall going on and on until all at once obliterated by the approaching fire engines careened across town from the station several blocks away.  The steady bleat of sirens cracking open the night and swallowing every other sound.

Willa drops the bicycle on its side, not caring where it falls; her feet dragging lead as she moves closer, eyes wide and staring in an attempt to fully absorb this terrible thing she sees.

 

And now, quick, while they’re not looking, this is me tagging the next Lucky 7:

DB Smith

Sheri De Grom

Catherine Margaret Johnson

Richard Monro

Marian Pearson Stevens

SJ Driscoll

Helen McMullin

Okay, fellow scribes, show us your 77, 7, 7 😀  (Keep in mind, if your not up to page 77 and you still want to play, you can use page 7 for your 7 lines.)

My Man Rocky

Have you ever considered what character, fictional or real, would most fit the role of a movie about your life?

No doubt it’s not an especially easy choice to make, and it would likely require a casting call of thousands to find a persona close enough to fit the gazillion nuances of quirk and personality that make you, you. But lets say we do manage to narrow it down just enough to produce your life on movie screen.  Who are you?

So yeah, I am Rocky, but of course you easily saw that coming.  It’s not like I didn’t give you any clues 😀

I’m crazy about Rocky.  The battered, bloody, but nevertheless triumphant Rocky, to be precise.  I love his story, yes, but even more so, I am Rocky

Am I suggesting that I don’t clearly enunciate when I speak, or that I have pecs of steel?  Um, well no, not exactly.  My love of Rocky goes far deeper than those super-pumped, stand-up-and-cheer, fight scenes.

For me, this valiant underdog best personifies my own knock-down, drag-out travails as a writer. High drama? Exaggeration? Not so much, because for anyone who has undertaken a similar journey of the heart, you know where this is coming from. It’s rough, sometimes hostile, often frustrating, and downright mean.  Yet, even then, stronger and far superior to the pummeling afforded by these exterior obstacles, are the true and far more durable strengths of hope, faith, belief, and yes absolutely, perseverance.Rocky’s story appeals on multiple levels. While nearly everyone who looks at him might see an ordinary, uninspiring, nondescript nobody, he nevertheless holds to his dream and keeps on standing tough when the blows of life – and later Apollo Creed – continue raining down.  It isn’t just that Rocky is a dreamer (dreamers after all are as common as fleas on a dog), it’s that he’s a dreamer with unshakable purpose, dedication, and a persistence strong enough to allow him to gulp down a daily tonic of raw eggs, pummel frozen beef carcases, and keep on standing when the blows come the hardest.

(Of equal note is the actual story of how Rocky creator, writer, and actor, Sylvester Stallone, held on against the power and $$$ of Hollywood to get his movie made with his vision intact. Inspiring in a BIG way!)

Yes, we start with a dream, but at the dawn of each day it’s all about staying the course and going the distance.

So who are you? Give us your character 🙂

What? Me Worry?

 

 

When was the last time you worried over a situation so long and hard, that you succeeded in turning it around, changing the outcome, or banishing it into oblivion? Hopefully you’re being honest and said NEVER, otherwise I’d be forced to say you’re completely up-to-your-eyeballs-full-of-baloney s***.

I know this because I once carried a Masters Degree in worry and was well on my way to a PhD.  Not that I actually aspired to such honors — it was more a matter of accepting the award with a smile and a handshake since I’d worked so hard to earn it.  In retrospect I would’ve been wise to refuse it, but that’s the thing about hindsight, it’s always so much more defined when you’re looking back from a distance of time passed.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy … Ah, what a concept.  But where are the instructions? How exactly do we transfer the song lyrics over into real life, where angst and concern are so often the flavor of the day?

It starts in childhood, this penchant for worry, and it takes on strength with every growth spurt. By the time we reach adulthood, we’re full blown worrywarts and what-if-aholics; piling worry on top of worry, where they will subsequently mate and breed, producing enough crazy ideas to paper a padded cell.

It’s a fact that worry, left alone to mingle with imagination, will often conceive an abundance of worrisome thoughts masquerading as rational concerns. It becomes all to easy to convince ourselves that the school bus driver  is a recently paroled ax murderer, or that the real reason hubby’s plane hasn’t arrived on time is because it’s at the bottom of the North Altantic …

Yes, of course, all worry does not come from a place of irrational paranoia, and there are legitimate instances when logic and worry collide with the force of continents dislodged, all for good reason. But even in the midst of genuine crisis, it’s helpful to keep in mind that worry is not so much to be ignored as it is to be mastered.  After all, worry loses a good deal of it’s potency if you refuse to feed it kick it in the butt and run away.

It’s not always easy to let go of our human tendencies to worry, but I’ve learned a few absolutes:

*Worry will not dissolve the traffic jam and get you to your doctor’s appointment on time.

*Worry will not increase your test scores

*Worry will not help your child make the team

*Worry will not get your book, blog, or synopsis written

*Ditto, Worry will not make reviewers, readers, or editors stand-up and cheer once you do

*Worry will not remove cellulite, excess weight, or a bad hair day

*Worry will not end wars, pay the  mortgage, or get you to the church on time

The fact remains that worry doesn’t solve problems, in as much as it allows them to grow to stifling proportions.  The result of which does little more than cripple us from action, or in many cases, to expend abundant energies running in the wrong direction.  It’s not always easy, but the thing to do is grab this gremlin by the scruff of the neck, and wrestle it off it’s pedestal.  Troublesome little  monster never should’ve been up there anyway.

True confessions–Yes, I am a recovering worrier. How about you?